Hardy Research Paper Pathfinder
PenfieldHigh SchoolLibrary April 2008
Scope: Guide to materials available at the PHS library through subscription databases or print resources.
I. Search Strategy
II. Electronic Resources
III. Print Resources
I. SEARCH STRATEGY
Keywords: Use a particular career (Environmental Scientist), proposition (Global Warming) or factor (Global Economics, Global Health) you have an interest in researching as a keyword. To narrow your search to a specific aspect, use two or three terms. For example:
Environmental Scientist
Global Warming AND Investments AND Growth
Subject headings: Use these in databases that use Controlled Vocabulary* searching.
Environmetal Policy AND Scientists
Environmental Impact AND Scientists
Economic Growth AND Global Warming
Subscription Databases:See library staff for user names and passwords.
CQ--Congressional QuarterlyCovers a wide range of social, economic, political, and environmental issues. Congressional reports include an abstract, overview, background, current situation, chronology, and pro/con perspective. CQ also offers suggestions on how to cite the article you are reading. See, CiteNow. *Pro/Con perspective
EBSCOHostA multidisciplinary database providing full-text articles for more than 700 general reference publications with coverage dating as far back as 1984. Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, Ebscohost also includes 36 full-text reference books and an Image Collection of 276,622 photos, maps and flags. This database is updated daily via EBSCOhost. EBSCOhost offers Pro/Con perspectives by using TOPIC search (verses the Masterfile search). Select the "opinion" link within your search results.
Facts-On-File Use theFederated Searchto search American History and Modern World History together. Use your topic as search terms/keywords. Tabs across the search result screen indicate the type of resource. Use tabs to find Biographies, Events& Topics, Primary Sources, Images & Video and Maps & Chart.
**American History Online**: Spans more than 500 years of political, military, social, and cultural history, highlighting the important people and events of the American experience.
**Modern World History Online**: Covers the people, places, and events in the broad expanse of history—from mid-15th century to the present.
**ProQuest**: Full-text articles from magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, and educational journals. Use keys to begin your search. Notice at the top your result list the Suggested Topics options. These are alternate topics related to the search terms you have entered. Suggested Topics appear in order by relevance (best suggestions and matches first) and often contain pairs of index terms to help focus results. Proquest also offers a "TOPIC" search which actively narrows down and refines the parameters you select.
SIRS Knowledge Source: SIRS Knowledge Source (SKS) is a comprehensive database portal which is comprised of several distinct reference databases including SIRS Researcher®, SIRS Government Reporter®, SIRS Renaissance®, SKS WebSelect™, SIRS Discoverer®, and Discoverer WebFind™. Updated daily, SKS provides relevant, credible information on social issues, science, history, government, the arts and humanities. Full-text articles and Internet resources are carefully selected from thousands of domestic and international publications and respected organizations. Begin your research by performing a subject heading search. That will bring up a list of LC Subject Headings related to your search terms. If you are not returning many results through subject heading searches, try a keyword search. SIRS is not as intuitive as some of the other databases, so you need to be more flexible in your search terms and strategies. SIRS has an onlineQuick Start Guidewith more detailed search strategies. *Pro/Con Perspective
WORLD BOOK ONLINE World Book Online: Encyclopedia, reference, and multimedia sources. Good starting point for a general overview. Includes links to reviewed web sites.
The following databases are published by Gale and have similar interfaces and use similar search strategies. You can search each database individually or search them simultaneously by using Gale’sPowerSearch. Start by doing a Subject Guide Search. You can then narrow your topic by subdivisions.
Gale Virtual Reference Library: Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. These reference materials once were accessible only in the library, but now you can access them online from the library or remotely 24/7. This collection includes reference materials funding by the NYSL and those purchased by PHS.
**Opposing Viewpoints**: Information on today's hottest social issues. Features include viewpoint articles, full-text magazine and newspaper articles, primary source documents, statistics, images and podcasts, and links to Websites. *Pro/Con Perspective
**Student Resource Center**: Broad database offering resources in literature, cultures, science, history, and geography. Full-text articles from reference works, primary sources, and periodicals
Free Websites:
**Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition**:The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor, is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years
III. PRINT RESOURCES
Use the Library Catalog to locate print resources in the PHS Library Library Catalog (click link)
Pathfinder
Penfield High School Library
April 2008
Scope: Guide to materials available at the PHS library through subscription databases or print resources.
I. Search Strategy
II. Electronic Resources
III. Print Resources
I. SEARCH STRATEGY
Keywords:
Use a particular career (Environmental Scientist), proposition (Global Warming) or factor (Global Economics, Global Health) you have an interest in researching as a keyword. To narrow your search to a specific aspect, use two or three terms. For example:
Environmental Scientist
Global Warming AND Investments AND Growth
Subject headings:
Use these in databases that use Controlled Vocabulary* searching.
Environmetal Policy AND Scientists
Environmental Impact AND Scientists
Economic Growth AND Global Warming
II. ELECTRONIC RESOURCES [Wikiality]
Subscription Databases: See library staff for user names and passwords.
CQ--Congressional Quarterly Covers a wide range of social, economic, political, and environmental issues. Congressional reports include an abstract, overview, background, current situation, chronology, and pro/con perspective. CQ also offers suggestions on how to cite the article you are reading. See, CiteNow. *Pro/Con perspective
EBSCOHostA multidisciplinary database providing full-text articles for more than 700 general reference publications with coverage dating as far back as 1984. Covering virtually every subject area of general interest, Ebscohost also includes 36 full-text reference books and an Image Collection of 276,622 photos, maps and flags. This database is updated daily via EBSCOhost. EBSCOhost offers Pro/Con perspectives by using TOPIC search (verses the Masterfile search). Select the "opinion" link within your search results.
Facts-On-File
Use the Federated Search to search American History and Modern World History together. Use your topic as search terms/keywords. Tabs across the search result screen indicate the type of resource. Use tabs to find Biographies, Events& Topics, Primary Sources, Images & Video and Maps & Chart.
**ProQuest**: Full-text articles from magazines, newspapers, encyclopedias, and educational journals. Use keys to begin your search. Notice at the top your result list the Suggested Topics options. These are alternate topics related to the search terms you have entered. Suggested Topics appear in order by relevance (best suggestions and matches first) and often contain pairs of index terms to help focus results. Proquest also offers a "TOPIC" search which actively narrows down and refines the parameters you select.
SIRS Knowledge Source: SIRS Knowledge Source (SKS) is a comprehensive database portal which is comprised of several distinct reference databases including SIRS Researcher®, SIRS Government Reporter®, SIRS Renaissance®, SKS WebSelect™, SIRS Discoverer®, and Discoverer WebFind™. Updated daily, SKS provides relevant, credible information on social issues, science, history, government, the arts and humanities. Full-text articles and Internet resources are carefully selected from thousands of domestic and international publications and respected organizations. Begin your research by performing a subject heading search. That will bring up a list of LC Subject Headings related to your search terms. If you are not returning many results through subject heading searches, try a keyword search. SIRS is not as intuitive as some of the other databases, so you need to be more flexible in your search terms and strategies. SIRS has an online Quick Start Guide with more detailed search strategies. *Pro/Con Perspective
WORLD BOOK ONLINE
World Book Online: Encyclopedia, reference, and multimedia sources. Good starting point for a general overview. Includes links to reviewed web sites.
The following databases are published by Gale and have similar interfaces and use similar search strategies. You can search each database individually or search them simultaneously by using Gale’s PowerSearch. Start by doing a Subject Guide Search. You can then narrow your topic by subdivisions.
Free Websites:
- **Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2008-09 Edition**: The Occupational Outlook Handbook, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the US Department of Labor, is a nationally recognized source of career information, designed to provide valuable assistance to individuals making decisions about their future work lives. The Handbook is revised every two years
Use the Library Catalog to locate print resources in the PHS LibraryIII. PRINT RESOURCES
Library Catalog
(click link)